ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Wednesday it was in contact with Saudi Arabia and Yemen after a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea killed three Pakistani nationals and injured another, as Islamabad sought details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The attack comes amid heightened risks to shipping through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, where Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis threatened Saudi-linked vessels last month. It also comes days after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed a trilateral defense pact under which an armed attack on one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all.
“We are in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities, as well as the internationally recognized Government of Yemen, to ascertain further details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement on X.
He said information available to Islamabad so far showed three Pakistanis had been killed and one injured.
Dar condemned the attack, describing the targeted ship as a non-combatant commercial vessel.
“Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” he said.
Dar said he had instructed Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia to coordinate with the relevant authorities over the repatriation of the bodies and assistance for the injured Pakistani.
“I have directed our Embassy in Riyadh to immediately coordinate with the concerned authorities, and to strongly pursue all necessary measures for the retrieval and repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased Pakistani nationals and for the provision of all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani national.”
SAUDI-LED MARITIME COALITION
Separately, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Wednesday Pakistan was ready to help Saudi Arabia and other members implement a new Saudi-led maritime coalition aimed at protecting shipping and global supply chains.
“Pakistan is a signatory of this coalition. We abide by its communique, and we are ready and willing to assist Saudi Arabia and other coalition partners in operationalization of this communique to preserve the safety and security of the global supply chain, as well as the maritime
traffic,” Andrabi told reporters at a weekly briefing.
He said Pakistan supported freedom of navigation and maritime security in international waterways under international law, and was engaging Saudi authorities in the context of both the coalition and the latest attack.
The Bab Al-Mandab Strait, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and, through the Suez Canal, to the Mediterranean, making it a critical route for trade between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Security concerns around the waterway have intensified since the Houthis threatened Saudi shipping in July, while attacks on commercial vessels have also resumed.
The new Saudi-led maritime initiative brings together countries seeking to protect commercial shipping and maritime routes in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab and Gulf of Aden, with Pakistan among the states that have backed the coalition.
The risks have taken on added significance as the Iran-US conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the other major maritime chokepoint connecting Gulf energy producers with international markets.
